By Maston Kaiya, MANA
Campaign for Health, Education, Sanitation and Hygiene (CAHESH) has donated COVID-19 Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials that are in Braille for visually impaired people in Ntcheu District on Friday.
The donation included 120 braille and large print books, 60 hand washing buckets with taps, 10 cartons of soap and 200 leaflets amounting to K1.2 million.
Mbingwani hands over the Braille pack to a
recipient
CAHESH Executive Director, MacDonald Kaluwa said his organisation observed that the visually impaired were not accommodated during Coronavirus message dissemination in the communities.
“We observed that people who are visually impaired are sidelined in terms of receiving information on the pandemic,” he said.
“Coronavirus has affected everyone regardless of status, hence our collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners such as the Torch for the Blind, to develop the information in braille.”
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He, however, said with Malawi having approximately a population of about 776,000 people with visual impairment, his organisation is targeting around 10,000 people across the country to narrow the gap in message dissemination.
“What we are doing is, in fact, the spirit of inclusiveness. We would like to reach out to people with disabilities across the country with adequate information about the pandemic,” Kaluwa said.
Ntcheu District Disability Forum chairperson, Henderson Golombe expressed gratitude for the timely donation, saying it has given hope to over 300 visually impaired people in the district.
“We have 120 people who are braille literate. With such a figure and lacking accurate information, we felt that we were going to be victims, hence our request to government to consider us in times of disasters like this,” Golombe said.
While director of health and social services for Ntcheu District Council, Dr Isaac Mbingwani said the interventions by CAHESH will reach out to the entire district.
“We have a work plan towards the fight against the pandemic, but resources remain a challenge. It is our wish that partners will continue supporting us considering that we are a border district,” he said.
The donation from Royal People Development
Services
Meanwhile, Royal People Development Services, a group of well-wishers, also donated items to two health facilities in Ntcheu.
The institution’s country coordinator, Chifundo Likaomba said they decided to help people at Dzunje Health Centre in Kawere and Nsipe Mission Hospital because most people rely on the two health facilities for services.
“I was born in Nsipe, hence thought it wise to help my community as one way of giving back to it,” he said.
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“This initiative was started in South Africa where people are encouraged to help their communities by contributing.
“We thought it wise to support what Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani is doing in response to COVID-19 fight.”
He said Coronavirus has shaken everybody and that everyone needs to partake in efforts towards controlling the health vice.
“Government alone cannot reach out to all at once, we therefore are helping the government and urge others to help on how best we can all fight the pandemic.
Coronavirus alert
“So far, we managed to buy ten 50-litre tanks, ten 30-litre buckets, hand wash bottles, towels, sanitisers and clothing. All these have cost approximately over K100,000,” he said.
He said the aim was to reach out to more people and appealed to all well-wishers to help in the crisis, saying “this is a fight for us all.”
One of the officers at Nsipe Health Centre, Innocent Dzoole thanked the team for the courtesy, asking other members of the society like the business community and farmers, to do the same to arrest the Coronavirus.—Additional reporting by Constance Pindikani